Background/Context: Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) have become one of the most prevalent and rapidly growing social assistance strategies in developing countries. Typically, education-focused CCT programs provide monthly or bimonthly cash payments to students who meet specific attendance requirements. There is a wealth of literature documenting…

This study examines how child labour carried out in Nepal's brick kilns impacts classroom performance and achievement, while also exploring parents' perspectives towards it. To this end, a field study within select brick kilns was conducted among child labourers as well as adults whose offspring had previously worked as child labourers.…

Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were serious questions about whether children were actually learning. With widespread school closures and other disruptions to the education system brought about by the pandemic, the learning crisis has escalated to new heights. As the pandemic enters its third year, 23 countries -- home to…

We introduce a simple empirical model that assumes a positive stigma (or norm) towards child labor that is common in some developing countries. We then illustrate our positive stigma model using data from Guatemala. Controlling for several child- and household-level characteristics, we use two instruments for measuring stigma: a child's indigenous…

This study examines the impact of the Asian financial crisis on children in Indonesia. Data from four rounds of the 100 Villages Survey are used to examine changes in school attendance rates, child labor force participation, and health status. These data cover over 120 households in each of 100 villages around Indonesia and were collected prior to…

This paper reports on a study that analyzed the links between child labor and poor school performance. Using data gathered in Ghana in recent years through the administration of tests, the study measured reading achievement and mathematics achievement to about half of the individuals surveyed as part of the Ghana Living Standards Survey. The paper…

To investigate whether low school attendance rates in Guatemala (about 35% of primary school aged children do not attend) are due primarily to the need for children in low income families to contribute to family income or child care and other housekeeping tasks, time use data were collected in 4 rural villages from mothers of 369 children, aged…